Oregon's Massive Mule Deer Changes with Josh Smith

Back in 2024, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife adopted a brand-spanking-new mule deer plan using a ton of new data collected from mule deer studies. Today, Josh Smith, the ODFW Mule Deer Coordinator, joins the show to tell us what the proposed changes look like, and for Oregon mule deer hunters, they are going to overhaul how you apply. In the least, it's possible your favorite unit's boundaries won't change much, but the codes and names for hunts you apply for will. At most, your hunt area maybe has three different mule deer herds using it, and that will upend how you apply.  In today's day and age of difficult tag draws and tough mule deer population numbers, it's refreshing to hear Oregon is putting the latest science to work and making changes that will ideally result in hunters being involved in the continued conservation of the species. Thanks to Josh for taking the time to be on this podcast. We really appreciate you listening in and hope you enjoy this show! Want to see the proposed changes for yourself? Click here >> If you want to plan your 2025 or 2026 Oregon mule deer hunt, be sure to reach out to [email protected] to get started.  _____ Subscribe to the Hunt West Weekly Email Here >> Learn about Hunt West planning services >>  Follow Hunt West on Instagram >> Contact Jaden at [email protected] Thanks to Bo DePena, a musician, friend, and avid hunter in Colorado, for the intro and outro for the show.